Research Spotlights

Research Feature

Study Highlights Role of Jaundice-Associated Pigment in Protecting Against Malaria

Johns Hopkins Medicine News

New research suggests that bilirubin, a pigment that causes yellowing of the skin or jaundice, may help protect people from the most severe consequences of malaria. In studies comparing normal mice with mice genetically engineered to lack bilirubin production, researchers found that all normal mice survived malaria infection while all bilirubin-lacking mice died. The findings suggest bilirubin may be a potential target for drugs that boost its production to prevent malaria's most deadly effects.

Editors' Pick

Editor's Pick: NRF2 Network Offers New Target for Trigeminal Neuralgia

IASP Pain Research Forum

Editorial Preview

Conquering Radicals with a Sense of Humor

Cell Chemical Biology — Leo E. Otterbein

In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Vasavda et al. (2019) present data supporting a neuroprotective role for bilirubin, a bioactive product resulting from heme degradation. While the antioxidant capability of bilirubin is well documented, its role in modulating superoxide radical signaling offers new insight into the regulation of neurotransmission and neuronal survival.

News Feature

More Than Just Jaundice: Mouse Study Shows Bilirubin May Protect The Brain

Johns Hopkins Medicine News

In studies in mice, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report they have found that bilirubin, a bile pigment most commonly known for yellowing the skin of people with jaundice, may play an unexpected role in protecting brain cells from damage from oxidative stress. The research team found that bilirubin's ability to regulate superoxide originated in its chemical structure, which allows it to grab on to and neutralize the harmful molecule in a way that other antioxidants cannot.

Editorial Focus

Rounding up the usual suspects in O₂ sensing: CO, NO, and H₂S!

Science Signaling — Joachim Fandrey

Oxygen sensing by the carotid body is essential in vertebrates to adapt to reduced arterial oxygen tension. In this issue of Science Signaling, Yuan et al. report an intricate signaling system to transduce a physical parameter — oxygen tension — into a biological cellular signal through changes in the production of carbon monoxide, cyclic GMP, and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S).